“Are you hard of hearing as well as brainless?” I asked as I reached them. I’d never been one to stereotype people, but Justin was a prime example of the term “dumb jock.” The dude could bulldoze through a line of defensemen on the field without breaking a sweat, but he couldn’t answer a math question unless it equaled “this many.” “Move your arms before I break them.”
Gracie shifted uncomfortably and glanced at me with pleading blue eyes. Her dad had made sure all his girls knew how to defend themselves, but Justin was at least double her size.
Fortunately, I’d had a growth spurt during the first semester of freshman year and had developed a pretty ripped physique from boxing and weight training. If Justin had any sense, he’d realize he didn’t stand a chance against me.
Instead, the idiot laughed. “Go back to the computer lab, nerd. I’m gonna lick this sexy little cupcake.”
I’d grown up knowing my worth. When people, particularly high school kids, took shots at me, I couldn’t have cared less. But if someone disrespected Gracie, all bets were off.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “You’ll get suspended.”
“Don’t care,” I growled.
When Justin was crying on the floor, whining about his bruised face, and a teacher had me by the arm, dragging me to the principal's office, I glanced back and muttered, “Worth it.”
Gracie sat on a chair in the hallway, and as I exited the office, she stood. “You didn’t have to punch him, Hudson. You and I both know you could have just broken his hold.”
I shrugged and grabbed her bag to sling it over my shoulder with my own. “Now the word will get out not to mess with you. Or they’ll answer to me.”
Gracie giggled. “I doubt anyone expected the computer genius to lay out a football player.”
“Age of the geek, baby,” I snickered.
I expected her to laugh, but Gracie didn’t say anything else as we walked back to the lockers. Once we reached mine, I set our bags down and lifted her chin so I could see her blue eyes. “What’s on your mind, Gracie?”
Her eyes dropped to my chest, then away and she cleared her throat. “Um, it’s just that with you defending me and all, and um...if you accidentally call me things like ‘baby,’ and...and, um, carry my bag and stuff…”
I almost smiled, but I knew this conversation had been hard for my girl to initiate. Gracie could be a spitfire when she was riled up, but she was mostly shy.
It probably started that summer when we were twelve, but through the next couple of years, I began to see Gracie in a different light. I started to notice things like her body filling out into a curvy figure that starred in a lot of my dreams. Her face thinned, making her beautiful blue eyes stand out with their fringe of reddish eyelashes. And at some point, every time I saw her lips, I wondered how it would feel to kiss them.
There were times when I suspected she had similar thoughts about me but was too shy to bring it up.
However, we were both trying to navigate the early teen years, the changes in our bodies and figuring out who we were. So, I set those feelings aside for the day when I truly understood them and continued to be her best friend.
Now we’d reached freshman year of high school, and I’d straightened everything out in my mind, body, and heart. I sensed Gracie was ready too. Waiting any longer just seemed stupid. Although I wouldn’t rush her, I had no qualms about making sure everyone knew who she belonged to.
“First, it wasn’t an accident. Second, what are you trying to say?” I prompted.
“Well, it’s just that...um, people might think we’re together.” Her face turned crimson, and I couldn’t hold back the smile. She was just so damn adorable.
“Good.” I nodded for emphasis.
“Like dating together, not just best friends together,” she murmured as she shuffled nervously from foot to foot.
I gripped her chin firmly, guiding her eyes back to my face. “And?”
Her features screwed up as she gave me a cute little glare. “You’re such a boy!”
I bent my head low so our mouths were only a breath away. “You’re such a girl,” I said silkily before whispering a kiss over her lips. It wasn’t much, but I didn’t want our first kiss to be in the hallway of our school with students everywhere around us.
“Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?”
I pretended to think for a moment, then dipped my head to the side as I responded. “Okay. How about this? I want everyone to know we’re dating because I want them to know you’re mine.”
Her expression softened, though she still sounded snippy when she spoke. “You can’t just...just decide I’m yours.” Her tone didn’t hide the breathless quality. “We haven’t even gone on a real date.”
I smirked as I straightened back up. “You’re absolutely right, baby. And I’m going to remedy that Friday night.”
This time, when her face flushed, her eyes sparkled and her mouth tipped up at one corner. And still, she sassed me. “You can’t just decide I’m yours, Hudson.”
The warning bell for the next period rang, and I turned her around, placing my hands on her shoulders. I leaned in and whispered, “Yes, I can. You’ve always been mine. And you know it.” Then I smacked her round little ass and gave her a gentle push. She wandered for a minute, glancing back at me, her eyes filled with a little shock and a whole lot of hope.
I smiled and said loudly, “See you after class, baby.”
The blush that stole over her cheeks tempted me to drag her to the nearest dark corner and finally find out what she tasted like.
